Florida residents are no strangers to year-round heat and humidity. Since it’s not uncommon to run the AC through all four seasons in Florida, homeowners need to find ways of maximizing system efficiency if they hope to keep energy bills low and avoid emergency air conditioning service calls. Before you can successfully reduce utility costs, you must first calculate your home’s current energy consumption:
- Determine the Users: To determine your energy usage, start by counting all the major appliances in your home. Your list should include stoves, washers, dryers, and of course your heating and AC system. The goal is to determine how much electricity these appliances utilize on a daily basis.
- Estimate the Usage: After compiling a list of appliances, try to estimate your daily usage. Start by counting how many hours an appliance runs in an average day. Be sure to include those hours when the appliance is on, even if you aren’t
actually using it during this time. Once you’ve assessed usage time, figure out the wattage for each appliance. This information can generally be found on the appliance, however, you can also locate it online. - Tie to Calculate: After calculating usage and wattage, you’re ready to calculate energy consumption in your home. Determine each appliance’s energy spend by multiplying the number of hours the item is in use by the wattage. You can find daily kilowatt-hour consumption by dividing the total by 1000 and then multiplying the result by the number of days you use the appliance in a given year. To find the yearly energy cost per item, multiply the yearly usage value by the local cost per kilowatt-hour in your area.
Contact Del-Air for More Money-Saving Tips
Calculating your energy consumption can be a great way to evaluate the efficiency of your HVAC system and appliances and decide if changes need to be made. However, if utility bills remain high, you may want to schedule a professional energy audit. The auditor can examine the outside of the room and perform a room-by-room analysis to assess waste. Browse the Del-Air blog for more home energy-saving tips and then call our offices to schedule an appointment for air conditioning services.
